Joel Thompson had a simple philosophy on his baseball recruiting: If Iowa calls, jump at the opportunity.
Last Wednesday, the call came, and on Saturday, Thompson made it official by accepting the Hawkeyes’ scholarship offer.
“That was kind of my thing,” said Thompson, a Lewis Central catcher who is about to enter his senior year. “If Iowa was to offer me, then I would go. If not, I would probably go to a juco or Division II or smaller Division I.”
Thompson had been in contact with a few junior colleges and Division I Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, but his heart was always in Iowa City.
He had a weekend practice-tryout with his Perfect Game team in Iowa City. He left early to meet with coaches and get a closer look at the campus.
“The facilities and coaching staff are amazing,” Thompson said. “They know what they’re doing, and with their up-and-coming classes, they believe that they’re going to get to Omaha and make a run. I want to be a part of that.”
Thompson becomes the fourth Lewis Central player to commit to Iowa since 2003, joining Cole Grandfield (2003), Justin Toole (2005) and Eric Toole (2011).
He will also be playing alongside a fellow Council Bluffs native when he arrives in Iowa City in 2017. Abraham Lincoln’s Kyle Crowl, who just finished his prep career by batting .440 with a Class 4-A-best .579 on-base percentage, will be a freshman at Iowa this fall.
Thompson wrapped an impressive junior year for the Titans last month with first team all-state honors. He finished second in 4-A in home runs (9) and RBIs (60), third in walks (29) and fourth in slugging percentage (.788) and on-base percentage (.558) while hitting .413 on the season.
L.C. finished 32-6 and won its second straight Hawkeye Ten Conference title, falling just one win shy of a state tournament berth.
Now, Thompson doesn’t have to worry about his future. Instead, he’ll focus his final prep campaign on trying to help L.C. get back to state for the first time since 2005.
“I just get to play baseball and don’t have to worry about all these colleges looking at me and wanting to know where I’m going to go,” Thompson said.
http://www.nonpareilonline.com/spor...cle_9155cd78-626a-11e6-aee3-ef274ff29c02.html
Last Wednesday, the call came, and on Saturday, Thompson made it official by accepting the Hawkeyes’ scholarship offer.
“That was kind of my thing,” said Thompson, a Lewis Central catcher who is about to enter his senior year. “If Iowa was to offer me, then I would go. If not, I would probably go to a juco or Division II or smaller Division I.”
Thompson had been in contact with a few junior colleges and Division I Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, but his heart was always in Iowa City.
He had a weekend practice-tryout with his Perfect Game team in Iowa City. He left early to meet with coaches and get a closer look at the campus.
“The facilities and coaching staff are amazing,” Thompson said. “They know what they’re doing, and with their up-and-coming classes, they believe that they’re going to get to Omaha and make a run. I want to be a part of that.”
Thompson becomes the fourth Lewis Central player to commit to Iowa since 2003, joining Cole Grandfield (2003), Justin Toole (2005) and Eric Toole (2011).
He will also be playing alongside a fellow Council Bluffs native when he arrives in Iowa City in 2017. Abraham Lincoln’s Kyle Crowl, who just finished his prep career by batting .440 with a Class 4-A-best .579 on-base percentage, will be a freshman at Iowa this fall.
Thompson wrapped an impressive junior year for the Titans last month with first team all-state honors. He finished second in 4-A in home runs (9) and RBIs (60), third in walks (29) and fourth in slugging percentage (.788) and on-base percentage (.558) while hitting .413 on the season.
L.C. finished 32-6 and won its second straight Hawkeye Ten Conference title, falling just one win shy of a state tournament berth.
Now, Thompson doesn’t have to worry about his future. Instead, he’ll focus his final prep campaign on trying to help L.C. get back to state for the first time since 2005.
“I just get to play baseball and don’t have to worry about all these colleges looking at me and wanting to know where I’m going to go,” Thompson said.
http://www.nonpareilonline.com/spor...cle_9155cd78-626a-11e6-aee3-ef274ff29c02.html
